Readability of Online Patient Information Relating to Cleft Palate Surgery

2021 ◽  
pp. 105566562110131
Author(s):  
Christopher V. Lavin ◽  
Evan J. Fahy ◽  
Darren B. Abbas ◽  
Michelle Griffin ◽  
Nestor M. Diaz Deleon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cleft Palate ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Health Care Education ◽  
Search Results ◽  
Cleft Palate Repair ◽  
Grade Reading Level ◽  
Google Search

Objective: It is important for health care education materials to be easily understood by caretakers of children requiring craniofacial surgery. This study aimed to analyze the readability of Google search results as they pertain to “Cleft Palate Surgery” and “Palatoplasty.” Additionally, the study included a search from several locations globally to identify possible geographic differences. Design: Google searches of the terms “Cleft Palate Surgery” and “Palatoplasty” were performed. Additionally, searches of only “Cleft Palate Surgery” were run from several internet protocol addresses globally. Main Outcome Measures: Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Readability Ease, Gunning Fog Index, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) index, and Coleman-Liau Index. Results: Search results for “Cleft Palate Surgery” were easier to read and comprehend compared to search results for “Palatoplasty.” Mean Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scores were 7.0 and 10.11, respectively ( P = .0018). Mean Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease scores were 61.29 and 40.71, respectively ( P = .0003). Mean Gunning Fog Index scores were 8.370 and 10.34, respectively ( P = .0458). Mean SMOG Index scores were 6.84 and 8.47, respectively ( P = .0260). Mean Coleman-Liau Index scores were 12.95 and 15.33, respectively ( P = .0281). No significant differences were found in any of the readability measures based on global location. Conclusions: Although some improvement can be made, craniofacial surgeons can be confident in the online information pertaining to cleft palate repair, regardless of where the search is performed from. The average readability of the top search results for “Cleft Palate Surgery” is around the seventh-grade reading level (US educational system) and compares favorably to other health care readability analyses.

scholarly journals Dupuytren's Contracture: The Readability of Online Information

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 237437352110564
Author(s):  
Shayan Hosseinzadeh ◽  
Philip Blazar ◽  
Brandon E Earp ◽  
Dafang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Patient Information ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Dupuytren’S Contracture ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Dupuytren's Contracture ◽  
Reading Grade Level ◽  
Grade Reading Level

Dupuytren's contracture is a common hand pathology for which consultation and treatment are largely at the patient's discretion. The objective of this study was to evaluate the readability of current online patient information regarding Dupuytren's contracture. The largest public search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) were queried using the search terms “Dupuytren's contracture,” “Dupuytren's disease,” “Viking's disease,” and “bent finger.” The first 30 unique websites by each search were analyzed and readability assessed using five established algorithms: Flesch Reading Ease, Gunning-Fog Index, Flesch–Kincaid Grade level, Coleman–Liau index, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook grade level. Analysis of 73 websites demonstrated an average Flesch Reading Ease score of 48.6 ± 8.0, which corresponds to college reading level. The readability of websites ranged from 10.5 to 13.3 reading grade level. No article was written at or below the recommended sixth grade reading level. Information on the internet on Dupuytren's contracture is written at higher than recommended reading grade level. There is a need for high-quality patient information on Dupuytren's contracture at appropriate reading grade levels for patients of various health literacy backgrounds. Hospitals, universities, and academic organizations focused on the development of readable online information should consider patients’ input and preferences.

scholarly journals Achilles Tendon Repair: Can Patients Read, Understand, and Act on Online Educational Resources?

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011420S0022
Author(s):  
Burke Gao ◽  
Alan G. Shamrock ◽  
Trevor Gulbrandsen ◽  
John E. Femino ◽  
Cesar de Cesar Netto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Education ◽  
Achilles Tendon ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Elective Surgery ◽  
Tendon Repair ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Achilles Tendon Repair ◽  
Grade Reading Level ◽  
Google Search ◽  
Online Patient Education

Category: Sports; Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Patients often access online resources to learn about orthopedic procedures prior to undergoing elective surgery. In order to be fully understood by the average English-speaking adult, online health information must be written at an elementary school reading level. To be helpful to patients, educational resources should also be generally understandable and have actionable direction that positively affects healthcare interactions. There are several previously validated indices for accessing the reading level of written materials. The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) provides a reliable and validated method to measure the understandability and actionability of education materials. The purpose of this study was to utilize PEMAT and readability algorithms to quantify readability, understandability and actionability of online patient education materials related to Achilles tendon repair. Methods: Online patient education materials were identified using two independently conducted Google engine searches with the term ‘Achilles tendon repair’. Using the top 50 search results, articles were included if they specifically served to educate patients regarding TAA. Exclusion criteria included news articles, non-text materials (video), research manuscripts, industry websites, and articles not related to Achilles tendon repair. The readability of included articles was quantified using the validated Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level index. The PEMAT form for printed materials was used to assess understandability and actionability using a 0-100 scale for both measures of interest. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was utilized to examine the relationship between a website’s average rank on Google (from first to last) and its readability, understandability, and actionability. P-values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Thirty-one websites met inclusion criteria. The mean Flesch Kincaid reading grade level was 10.8+-2.9, with only one website written below the 6th grade reading level. Higher Flesch-Kincaid grade was associated with later Google seach rank (rho: 0.488, p=0.010). Mean understandability and actionability scores were 67.1+-16.4% and 38.3+-28.4%, respectively. Among understandability criteria, only 12.9% (n=4) of articles included summaries and just 38.7% (n=12) included visual aids. Among actionability categories, 74% (n=23) of websites identified at least one action for readers, while only 60.8% (n=14) of these studies broke down actions into explicit, easy to understand steps. Actionability scores were not correlated with Google search rank (rho: -0.02, p=0.888), while higher understandability scores were associated with later Google search rank (rho: 0.45, p=0.017). Conclusion: Only one website describing Achilles tendon repair was written at or below the nationally recommended 6th grade reading level. Overall, Achilles tendon repair online educational materials scored poorly with respect to readability, understandability, and actionability. Articles that appeared earlier in the Google search had lower readability and understandability scores. In the era of shared decision making, it is vital that patients understand procedures, as well as the risks and benefits prior to undergoing elective surgery. These results suggest that current publicly available resources for Achilles tendon repair remain inadequate for patient education.

scholarly journals Availability and readability of online patient information on clubfoot: assessment of paediatric hospital clubfoot web pages

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Michael Xie ◽  
Jason Young ◽  
Collin May
Keyword(s):  
Patient Information ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Paediatric Hospital ◽  
Search Results ◽  
Talipes Equinovarus ◽  
Google Search

Purpose To determine the availability and readability of online patient information (OPI) provided by paediatric hospitals in the United States using clubfoot as a model condition Methods The websites of the top 95 paediatric hospitals identified using US News & World Report were included. The names of paediatric hospitals and the terms “clubfoot”, “clubfeet” and “talipes equinovarus” were entered into the Google search engine. Readability was assessed using five validated metrics and the composite grade level (CGL). The number of unpaid monthly visits was calculated with the Ahrefs Organic Traffic Score (OTS) tool. Data for paediatric hospitals were compared with the same metrics for the top ten Google search results. Results Of 95 paediatric hospitals, 29 (30.5%) did not have at least one web page dedicated to clubfoot. The 128 web pages representing 66 paediatric hospitals had an average CGL of 9.4, representing a readability level requiring some high school education. The mean OTS for all paediatric hospitals was 116 estimated visits per month, which was significantly less than that for the top ten Google clubfoot search results (3035.1; p < 0.0001). Conclusion Paediatric hospital web pages on clubfoot were visited much less frequently than those from the top ten Google search results. Only two web pages (1.6%) from paediatric hospitals offered OPI on clubfoot that met the American Medical Association recommended reading level (sixth-grade level). Paediatric hospitals should create OPI on clubfoot with appropriate readability and accessibility for patient families. Level of Evidence N/A

scholarly journals Evaluating the Quality and Readability of Internet Information Sources regarding the Treatment of Swallowing Disorders

2017 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 128-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley P. O'Connell Ferster ◽  
Amanda Hu
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Swallowing Disorders ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
8Th Grade ◽  
Google Search

The Internet has become a popular resource for patient education. The information it provides, however, is rarely peer-reviewed, and its quality may be a concern. Since the average American reads at an 8th grade level, the American Medical Association and the National Institutes of Health have recommended that health information be written at a 4th to 6th grade level. We performed a study to assess the quality and readability of online information regarding the treatment of swallowing disorders. A Google search for “swallowing treatment” was conducted. We studied the first 50 websites that appeared on the search engines results with the use of the DISCERN quality index tool, the Flesch Ease of Reading Score (FRES), and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) readability test. DISCERN is a validated 16-item questionnaire used to assess the quality of written health information; FRES and FKGL are used to assess readability. We classified the websites as either patient-targeted or professional-targeted sites, as well as either major or minor. The overall DISCERN score was 1.61 ± 0.61 (range: 1 to 5), the overall FRES was 39.1 ± 19.0 (range: 1 to 100), and the overall FKGL was 11.8 ± 3.4 (range: 3 to 12). As would be expected, patient-targeted websites had significantly higher FRES and significantly lower FKGL scores than did the professional-targeted websites (p = 0.01 and p = 0.04, respectively); there was no significant difference between the two in DISCERN scores. The major websites had significantly higher DISCERN scores than did the minor sites (p = 0.002); there were no significant differences in FRES and FKGL scores. We conclude that online information sources regarding the treatment of swallowing disorders were of sub optimal quality in that information was written at a level too difficult for the average American to easily understand. Also, the patient-targeted websites were written at a lower reading level, and the major websites contained a higher quality of information.

scholarly journals Health care and social media: What patients really understand

F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Hoedebecke ◽  
Lindsey Beaman ◽  
Joy Mugambi ◽  
Sanam Shah ◽  
Marwa Mohasseb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Lower Grade ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Grade Reading Level

Background: Low health literacy is associated with decreased patient compliance and worse outcomes - with clinicians increasingly relying on printed materials to lower such risks. Yet, many of these documents exceed recommended comprehension levels. Furthermore, patients look increasingly to social media (SoMe) to answer healthcare questions. The character limits built into Twitter encourage users to publish small quantities of text, which are more accessible to patients with low health literacy. The present authors hypothesize that SoMe posts are written at lower grade levels than traditional medical sources, improving patient health literacy. Methods: The data sample consisted of the first 100 original tweets from three trending medical hashtags, leading to a total of 300 tweets. The Flesch-Kincaid Readability Formula (FKRF) was used to derive grade level of the tweets. Data was analyzed via descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The readability scores for the data sample had a mean grade level of 9.45. A notable 47.6% of tweets were above ninth grade reading level. An independent-sample t-test comparing FKRF mean scores of different hashtags found differences between the means of the following: #hearthealth versus #diabetes (t = 3.15, p = 0.002); #hearthealth versus #migraine (t = 0.09, p = 0.9); and #diabetes versus #migraine (t = 3.4, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Tweets from this data sample were written at a mean grade level of 9.45, signifying a level between the ninth and tenth grades. This is higher than desired, yet still better than traditional sources, which have been previously analyzed. Ultimately, those responsible for health care SoMe posts must continue to improve efforts to reach the recommended reading level (between the sixth and eighth grade), so as to ensure optimal comprehension of patients.

Assessing the Readability of Online Information About Achilles Tendon Ruptures

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 470-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia D. Perez ◽  
Hasani W. Swindell ◽  
Carl L. Herndon ◽  
Peter C. Noback ◽  
David P. Trofa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Achilles Tendon ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Tendon Rupture ◽  
Achilles Tendon Rupture ◽  
Tendon Repair ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Grade Reading Level

The American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) currently suggest that health care materials be written at a sixth-grade reading level. Our study investigates the readability of online information on Achilles rupture and reconstruction. Achilles tendon rupture, Achilles tendon repair, and Achilles tendon reconstruction were queried using advanced search functions of Google, Bing, and Yahoo!. Individual websites and text from the first 3 pages of results for each search engine were recorded and categorized as physician based, academic, commercial, government and nongovernmental organization, or unspecified. Individual readability scores were calculated via 6 different indices: Flesch-Kincaid grade level, Flesch Reading Ease, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau index, and Automated Readability Index along with a readability classification score and average grade level. A total of 56 websites were assessed. Academic webpages composed the majority (51.8%), followed by physician-based sources (32.1%). The average overall grade level was 10.7 ± 2.54. Academic websites were written at the highest-grade level (11.5 ± 2.77), significantly higher than physician-based websites ( P = .040), and only 2 were written at, or below, a sixth-grade reading level. Currently, online information on Achilles tendon rupture and reconstruction is written at an inappropriately high reading level compared with recommendations from the AMA and NIH. Level of Evidence: Level IV

Quality and Readability of Online Information on In-Office Vocal Fold Injections

2019 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-300
Author(s):  
Grace S. Yi ◽  
Amanda Hu
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Education ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Vocal Fold ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Vocal Fold Injection ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Google Search

Objectives: Vocal fold injection augmentations are increasingly being performed in the office setting on awake patients, as opposed to the operating room. These procedures thus require patient cooperation and education. As the Internet is a widely-used resource for patients, our aim was to assess the quality and readability of online resources on in-office awake vocal fold injections. Methods: An online Google search using the terms “office vocal fold injection medialization” and “awake vocal fold injection” was conducted. The first 50 English-language websites were categorized into professional- and patient-targeted, and major and minor sources. They were analyzed using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) test, and DISCERN quality score. Results: Fifty websites were evaluated, and the overall DISCERN score was 2.60 ± 1.01, the mean FRES was 32.16 ± 19.10, and the mean FKGL was 13.76 ± 4.12. Between the 25 professional-targeted and 25 patient-targeted websites, professional-targeted sites had significantly higher DISCERN ( P < .05) and FKGL ( P < .05) scores, and lower FRES ( P < .05) scores. Between the 30 major and 20 minor websites, major websites had significantly lower FRES ( P < .05) and higher FKGL ( P < .05) scores, and there was a trend toward significance for higher DISCERN scores ( P = .052). Conclusions: Our study shows that half of the top Google results for our topic were not written for patient education, but rather for health care professionals. The reading level of this information exceeds the recommended grade level for patient education materials, and may be less comprehensible than intended. While patient-targeted materials are easier to read than professional-targeted sites, they are of lower quality. The quality of the available online information on this topic is suboptimal for both patients and health care providers. This research highlights the need for more appropriate patient education materials given low health literacy rates.

Readability of Waiver of Liability Forms Used in Collegiate Intramural and Recreational Sports Programs

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. White ◽  
Bradley J. Cardinal
Keyword(s):  
Grade Level ◽  
Ninth Grade ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Recreational Sports ◽  
Intended Audience ◽  
Moderating Variables ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Sports Programs ◽  
Micro Power ◽  
Grade Reading Level

Waiver of liability forms should be written at a reading level consistent with that of the intended audience. On average, students read three grade levels below the last grade they completed in school. Therefore, waivers should be written no higher then the ninth-grade level. The main goal of this study was to assess the reading level of intramural and recreational sport waiver of liability forms, compared to the ninth-grade level. Nine NIRSA member schools and nine non-NIRSA member schools were randomly selected from each of NIRSA's six regions. Readability was assessed using the Readability Calculation software (Micro Power & Light, Dallas, TX) for MacIntosh. A one-sample t-test was performed to compare the forms to the ninth-grade reading level. Forms were written significantly higher than the ninth-grade level (t[26]=14.53, p<.0001). An analysis of variance was performed to assess possible moderating variables. No significant differences were found. Font size was also measured, and forms were found to have been written at a significantly higher level then the recommended 12-point font (t[28]=-2.88, p<.01). This study brings into question the efficacy of waiver of liability forms used in many collegiate/university intramural and recreational sports programs.

scholarly journals Total Ankle Arthroplasty: Can Patients Read, Understand, and Act on Online Educational Resources?

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011420S0008
Author(s):  
Alan G. Shamrock ◽  
Burke Gao ◽  
Trevor Gulbrandsen ◽  
John E. Femino ◽  
Cesar de Cesar Netto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Patient Education ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Elective Surgery ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Total Ankle Arthroplasty ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Ankle Arthroplasty ◽  
Google Search ◽  
Online Patient Education

Category: Ankle Arthritis; Ankle Introduction/Purpose: Patients often access online resources to learn about orthopedic procedures prior to undergoing elective surgery. In order to be fully understood by the average English-speaking adult, online health information must be written at an elementary school reading level. To be helpful to patients, educational resources should also be generally understandable and have actionable direction that positively affects their healthcare interactions. There are several previously validated indices for accessing the reading level of written materials. The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) provides a reliable and validated method to measure the understandability and actionability of education materials. The purpose of this study was to utilize PEMAT and readability algorithms to quantify readability, understandability and actionability of online patient education materials related to total ankle arthroplasty (TAA). Methods: Online patient education materials were identified using two independently conducted Google engine searches with the term ‘ankle replacement’. Using the top 50 search results, articles were included if they specifically served to educate patients regarding TAA. Exclusion criteria included news articles, non-text materials (video), research manuscripts, industry websites, and articles not related to TAA. The readability of included articles was quantified using the validated Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level index. The PEMAT form (Figure 1) for printed materials was used to assess understandability and actionability using a 0-100 scale for both measures of interest. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was utilized to examine the relationship between a website’s average rank on Google (from first to last) and its readability, understandability, and actionability. P-values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Forty-one websites met inclusion criteria. The mean Flesch Kincaid reading grade level was 13.7+-15.3 (range: 6.3-16.8), with no website written at an elementary school level. Article readability scores were not associated with Google search rank (p>0.301). Mean understandability and actionability scores were 70.4+-15.3 and 24.4+-24.3, respectively. Among understandability categories, only 9.8% (n=4) included summaries and only 46.3% (n=19) included visual aids. Among actionability categories, 58.5% (n=24) of websites identified at least one action for readers, but only 16.7% (n=4) of these studies broke down actions into explicit, easy to understand steps. Higher actionability scores were significantly associated with earlier Google search rank (rho:- 0.44, p=0.004), while higher understandability scores were associated with later Google search rank (rho: 0.53, p<0.001). Conclusion: No website describing TAA was written at or below the nationally recommended 6th grade reading level. Overall, TAA online educational materials scored poorly with respect to readability, understandability, and actionability. Article actionability but not understandability correlated with an earlier Google search rank. In the era of shared decision making, it is vital that patients understand procedures, as well as the risks and benefits prior to undergoing elective surgery. These results suggest that current publicly available resources for TAA remain inadequate for patient education.

OPTIMASI RISET KEYWORD DENGAN TEKNIK ALLINTITLLE PADA MESIN PENCARI GOOGLE

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Hengki Tamando Sihotang
Keyword(s):  
Search Engine ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Development Method ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Search Results ◽  
Google Search ◽  
The Web

Online information needs have evolved in the real direction. These needs include the latest information, government services, and commercial products. The research question is how to describe and optimize keyword research with the allintitle technique on the google search engine. The development method used in this research is the prototype method because it is considered able to be evaluated directly on the user. The system testing is done for 3 months by placing keywords on several websites on Google. The conclusion that can be taken is to use the allintitle technique, the search results for the web are easier to find. And this web-based allintitle technique can overcome the challenges of captcha verification from the Google search engine.   Keywords: Allintitle, Google's Search Engine, Keyword competition.

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